--- title: Harper Lee's Upcoming Book Elicits Questions On Elder Care Abuse description: Alabama has opened an inquiry into elder-care abuse amid allegations author Harper Lee was pressured to release her second novel canonical: https://time.com/3741697/harper-lees-book-elder-care-abuse/ author: Sabrina Toppa article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-12T04:04:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:49:42.017Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Harper Lee's New Book Raises Concerns About Author's Care og:description: Alabama has opened an investigation into the possibility of elder-care abuse. og:url: https://time.com/3741697/harper-lees-book-elder-care-abuse/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb66abf79ffeecd87/69878340428a9ec246cc796d/ap501721045806.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: In this Aug. 20, 2007 photo, author Harper Lee appears in Montgomery, Ala. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Harper Lee's New Book Raises Concerns About Author's Care twitter:description: Alabama has opened an investigation into the possibility of elder-care abuse. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb66abf79ffeecd87/69878340428a9ec246cc796d/ap501721045806.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Harper Lee's Upcoming Book Raises Concerns About Aging Author's Care ## Video: Best Free and Cheap Ebooks Sites [Watch (HLS stream): Best Free and Cheap Ebooks Sites](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/35n2mZWt.m3u8) (1:42)  _Published 2014-06-25. Some of our favorite places to go for summer reading on the cheap._ by [Sabrina Toppa](/author/sabrina-toppa/) ## Sabrina Toppa Mar 12, 2015 4:04 AM CUT  In this Aug. 20, 2007, photo, author Harper Lee appears in Montgomery, Ala. In this Aug. 20, 2007, photo, author Harper Lee appears in Montgomery, Ala.Rob Carr—AP by [Sabrina Toppa](/author/sabrina-toppa/) ## Sabrina Toppa Mar 12, 2015 4:04 AM CUT Fans of Harper Lee’s _To Kill a Mockingbird_ [rejoiced](http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/03/12/arts/artsspecial/harper-lees-ability-to-consent-to-new-book-continues-to-be-questioned.html?referrer=&%5Fr=0 "undefined") in February when the famously reclusive author announced a forthcoming HarperCollins title, _Go Set a Watchman_. However, rumors immediately circulated that Lee, now 88 and residing at an assisted-living facility, may have been burdened to release a book against her volition. The state of Alabama is currently investigating whether Lee was subjected to elder-care abuse in her hometown of Monroeville, Ala. Given Lee’s literary stature, it is clear that any upcoming book would likely spell commercial success for the publisher, literary agent and author. However, Lee’s decades of withdrawal from the spotlight had fans and friends questioning if she had a genuine wish to publish the novel at all. [Read more at the New York _Times._](http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/03/12/arts/artsspecial/harper-lees-ability-to-consent-to-new-book-continues-to-be-questioned.html?referrer=&%5Fr=0 "undefined") _Read next:_ [_So Where Has Harper Lee Been All These Years?_](http://time.com/3693714/harper-lee-go-set-a-watchman/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") ### See Harper Lee's Secluded Alabama Life  Caption from LIFE. Miss Lee pauses on balcony of local courthouse where she set climactic trial of a Negro who gets railroaded by small-town bigots. "The trial was a composite of all trials in the world - some in the South. But the courthouse was this one. My father's a lawyer, so I grew up in this room, and mostly I watched him from here." Donald Uhrbrock—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Harper Lee visiting her hometown, Monroeville, Alabama, in 1961. Donald Uhrbrock—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Miss Lee inspects old house much like neighborhood mystery house in book. "I remember this as the old Hodge place. Now no one lives here, so a lot of the children call it haunted, and they use it as a clubhouse." Donald Uhrbrock—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Reclining in chaise, she chats with father, Amasa Lee, 80, on screen porch. He was real-life model for her sage hero, Atticus Finch. "My father is one of the few men I've known, who has genuine humility, and it lends him a natural dignity. He has absolutely no ego drive, and so he is one of the most beloved men in this part of the state." Donald Uhrbrock—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. In hometown getup, she ambles in playground of school she once attended. "This was our favorite meeting place during recess and lunch. Here we had our fights, our marble games and hid our love notes." Donald Uhrbrock—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. At her father's law office where she wrote "Mockingbird," Miss Lee works on her next novel. Donald Uhrbrock—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3741697/harper-lees-book-elder-care-abuse/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3741697/harper-lees-book-elder-care-abuse/"},"headline":"Harper Lee's Upcoming Book Raises Concerns About Aging Author's Care","datePublished":"2015-03-12T04:04:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:49:42.017Z","description":"Has Harper Lee been unduly pressured to publish her forthcoming novel?","url":"https://time.com/3741697/harper-lees-book-elder-care-abuse/","keywords":["Books","alabama","Authors","To Kill a Mockingbird","Harper Lee"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb66abf79ffeecd87/69878340428a9ec246cc796d/ap501721045806.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sabrina Toppa","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/sabrina-toppa/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb66abf79ffeecd87/69878340428a9ec246cc796d/ap501721045806.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"In this Aug. 20, 2007 photo, author Harper Lee appears in Montgomery, Ala.","caption":"In this Aug. 20, 2007 photo, author Harper Lee appears in Montgomery, Ala.","creditText":"Rob Carr—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3741697/harper-lees-book-elder-care-abuse/","name":"Harper Lee's Upcoming Book Raises Concerns About Aging Author's Care"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Best Free and Cheap Ebooks Sites","description":"Some of our favorite places to go for summer reading on the cheap.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/35n2mZWt/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-06-25T15:53:11.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/35n2mZWt.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3741697/harper-lees-book-elder-care-abuse/","duration":"PT1M42S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3741697/harper-lees-book-elder-care-abuse/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```